96 Second News: Joey Fatone Confirms There WON’T Be An NSYNC Reunion; Britney Spears Is Going On Tour

**Jose Altuve has another shiny reminder of the Astros’ 2017 World Series win…

He posted a video of a commemorative baseball bat encrusted with Swarovski crystals on Instagram. The bat was a gift from Colombian artist Mr. Bling, who is known for giving such gaudy gifts to celebrities.

The crystals on the bat spell out “ALTUVE” and “27” in the Houston Astros jersey font, along with “World Series Champions” and the Astros star logo.

There is also a Venezuelan flag sparkling bright in yellow, blue and red, to remind Altuve of his roots.

According to the band’s own Joey Fatone, a group reunion won’t be a part of Justin Timberlake’s Super Bowl performance in Minnesota on Feb. 4.

Fatone was caught in West Hollywood by TMZ when asked about the big game…”If I was doing something, I’d be at rehearsals right now,” Fatone responded to the cameraman about any chance of an NSYNC reunion as part of Timberlake’s halftime set.

Fatone also doesn’t think Timberlake will be showcasing Janet Jackson during the show, considering the infamous wardrobe malfunction moment at the 2004 Super Bowl. “He’s not controversial like that,” Fatone said. “He is in a sense, but not in a sense to do it deliberately.”

**There seem to be all kinds of great job positions opening up these days….last week we told you about a chicken nuggets tester listing, and now there’s THIS. A veterinary clinic in Ireland is seeking a professional cat cuddler.

Just Cats Veterinary Clinic & Cattery posted the job on their website recently.

The clinic said the ideal candidate has gentle hands, can pet cats for long periods of time, speaks softly and can understand the different types of purring. You must be recognized by the veterinary council in Ireland to qualify for the job.

Just Cats Veterinary Clinic is Dublin’s only veterinary clinic for cats, but says they won’t discriminate against a dog lover from applying.

**Britney Spears just announced that she is hittin the road with her “Piece of Me” show in select cities.

According to Perez Hilton, the news comes just a few weeks after she ended her successful (first) Las Vegas residency.

Brit Brit confirmed the news on Monday evening on Twitter saying: “I’m so excited to announce that we’re bringing the #PieceOfMe tour to select cities in North America, Europe and the UK! See you guys this summer”

Tickets for select shows in Europe have already gone on sale, but Britney has yet to announce when tickets will go on sale for the North American tour dates. There is not Houston date…yet.

**Yesterday was National Pie Day but if you missed it, good news for you…today is National Peanut Butter Day!

A new survey asked the biggest peanut butter question of all: Are you a CHUNKY or SMOOTH person? And . . . 72% of people say they prefer smooth. Men are more likely to prefer chunky than women.

As for our favorite brands, Jif is number one . . . Skippy is number two . . . and Peter Pan is number three.

**Valentine’s Day is one of the top CANDY holidays in this country, and the website CandyStore.com just analyzed their last 10 years of sales between January 1st and February 14th to figure out the most popular candies for Valentine’s Day. It’s expected that $1.7 Billion will be spent on candy for the holiday. Here’s what they found:

1. Heart-shaped boxes of chocolates seemed to have a lock on the top spot as the most popular candy . . . but just last year, conversation hearts finally took over as number one.

2. Conversation hearts are the best seller in 19 states and heart-shaped boxes of chocolates are the best seller in 13 states.

3. Chocolate roses are the third-most popular . . . they’re number one in five states.

4. And Alabama is the only state where candy necklaces are the most popular Valentine’s Day candy.

**The Oscar nominees were announced yesterday, and Guillermo Del Toro’s sea monster love story “The Shape of Water” led the way with 13 nominations. That’s one shy of the record of 14. “La La Land” got 14 nominations last year, which is a record it shares with “Titanic” and the 1951 classic “All About Eve“.

“Dunkirk” got the second-most nominations this year with eight . . . followed by “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri“, with seven.

All three of them are up for Best Picture, along with “Call Me By Your Name“, “Darkest Hour“, “Get Out“, “Lady Bird“, “Phantom Thread“, and “The Post“.

Meryl was nominated for “The Post”, and it’s her 21st nomination. That breaks her own record for the most acting nominations. She’s “only” won three though.

James Franco won Best Actor in a Comedy at the Golden Globes, but he didn’t even get NOMINATED for an Oscar. It’s clear that he was hurt by the sexual misconduct allegations that surfaced after his Globes win.

“The 90th Academy Awards” will air Sunday, March 4th on ABC. It’ll be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel for the second straight year.

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**The Mighty Ducks franchise may be making its way to TV! ABC Signature Studios is in early development for a series based on the ’90s franchise, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.

While no network is attached, original trilogy screenwriter Steven Brill and original producer Jordan Kerner reportedly approached ABC Signature head Tracy Underwood about creating the series.

The report goes on to say that the show will not be shopped around anytime soon and that the 1992 film’s original stars Emilio Estevez (Gordon Bombay) and Joshua Jackson (Charlie Conway) are not attached … yet.